Critical Mass
by DocBon3saw
Summary: If a Gamer finds himself in the shoes of an Alliance Infiltrator set to begin his career, what will change? Self insert, eventual OC/Ash, kind of one sided F!Shep/Kaidan.
1. Chapter 1

**Critical Mass**

"This is the last time I make a house call," I wanted to say as I got out of my car.

The Hansens, an older couple in my neighborhood, wanted me to fix something with their home computer, and I'm such a pushover that I couldn't say no to anyone asking for help.

My name is Benjamin, though most call me Ben. I'm what many people call simply a 'computer guy', though the terms nerd, geek, gamer and basement dweller are occasionally used. The terms are fairly accurate, but I don't care. I do Tech Support for a living, and it always seems to leak over into my personal life. I really should get one of those shirts that say 'No, I will not fix your computer'. It would make my life a little easier.

As I walk up to the front door of the house, I wonder if they needed me to set up a folder in their email account or if there was actually something wrong with the computer.

_Knock, Knock, Knock_

I wait for the door to be answered.

After about a minute the door is opened by a lady with white hair who had kind eyes behind glasses.

"Thank you for being here, come in," she invited.

"It's no problem. Anytime," I say as I step inside. "What went wrong?"

She exhaled sharply through her mouth, "It just won't turn on."

I take a left turn up the stairs and say, "Lets take a look."

As I enter the room where the computer was, I ask, "How long has this been a problem?"

"Just today."

I lean over the table the computer is on and quickly check that it is indeed plugged in,

_You'd be surprised how often the problem is that simple._

It is plugged in, so I press the power button.

_Nothing, no power light, no fan spinning up, nothing._

I reach around to the back of the computer tower and feel for the power supply switch.

I find it and with a glance confirm that it is on as well.

"Looks like something may be loose inside," I say as I take the side panel off the tower.

I reach my hand inside and pick up one of the power supply cords on the interior of the computer.

Something happened.

You know how it feels when you get goosebumps? How a sort of wave travels along your skin that you can't help but notice? I've always liked that feeling in the past.

Not this time.

Imagine that wave is a hundred times stronger, cramping your muscles in place.

My vision started going patchy, and it was getting dark...

I woke up with a start.

It was dark, but I could still see a little bit. As my eyes adjusted, I recognized the recruits' barracks.

_Wait, why do I recognize a barracks?_

_Oh, that's because I'm an Alliance recruit._

_What? No, I'm a Tech Support agent for an IT company._

I remembered both. I had lived both.

I could fire a sniper rifle, and...

I looked at my left wrist, raising it to about mid-chest and clenching my fingers slightly.

A yellow-orange radiance appeared around my left arm, like a lighter than air glowing mitten.

...I could use an Omnitool.

I knew without really thinking that the year was 2183, and that I was Cadet Benjamin Johnston of the Systems Alliance Navy. I could field strip, clean and reassemble a Lancer type assault rifle blindfolded. And that was nothing compared to what I could do with a sniper rifle.

I dropped back onto my bunk, suddenly exhausted.

My last thought before falling asleep again was

_I'm in the world of Mass Effect. _

When I woke up the next morning, most of what was going through my head could be summed up in the phrase: _How could this happen?! _

I got up and began my morning routine, all the while my head buzzing with back and forth questions that made a tennis game look tame.

Today was graduation from the Academy, and after today, I would henceforth be 2nd Lieutenant Benjamin Johnston of the Systems Alliance Navy.

Nerves coursed through me in waves, alternating with confidence that everything would be fine.

In an attempt to work off the tension, I dropped into some pushups.

one...

_I am two people in one_

five...

_I am also an Alliance Marine_

By the time I got to 40, I had mostly calmed down, though I still had to wonder:

_What will happen to me now?"_

I showed up to the graduation ceremonies with my uniform spotless and shining,

fully expecting an inspection.

I was not disappointed. Fortunately for me, I had invested a lot of time in making sure I would more than pass muster.

As the oath was administered, I and my fellow graduates stood at attention.

This is what would define me for years to come. Allegiance and honor, the rough man standing ready so that civilians could sleep well at night.

"Dismissed!"

A cheer went up from the graduates and onlookers.

I looked at my first assignment with excitement.

**Name:** 2nd Lieutenant Benjamin Johnston

**Duty assignment**: SSV Normandy, Medical Corpsman/ Marine complement

**Report**: 0700 to XO Jane Shepard, LCDR

_An assignment aboard the Normandy! One of the most advanced ships in the fleet!_

_And I'm on board for Eden Prime!_

_Oh...That's going to suck._


	2. Chapter 2

**Author Note: Since I didn't include it in the first chapter, Disclaimer: I own nothing. The marvelous world of Mass Effect belongs to Bioware, I'm just playing in their kitchen.**

**With that out of the way, Thank you to all who followed or favorited, and thank you to XRaiderV1 and ShepardisaBOSS for reviewing. Every time I got a notification for one, I got warm fuzzies.**

**And here is the next chapter.**

As I looked over the sleek outline of the SSV Normandy SR1, I couldn't prevent the chills that ran up my spine. It took every ounce of my military discipline to keep from giggling in glee at the sight of my beloved ship.

The joy I felt was tempered with anxiety at the prospect of meeting Shepard. I had done some homework, using both my old googling skills and my newly acquired knowledge of security systems. Jane Shepard was not my usual Shepard. Mostly I would go the Spacer/War Hero route, because I had a hard time with what I viewed as "doing nasty things" to Shepard. When I played the games, I had the power to give Shepard the happiest upbringing possible, so I usually did it.

The real life Shepard was scary, even just reading her file. A survivor of Mindoir at the tender age of 16, she was one of very few not kidnapped by the invading aliens. When Alliance support arrived, she was found barely coherent, hugging her knees to her chest, her clothes torn to shreds, her pretty face smeared with blood, and with at least a dozen dead Batarians strewn about her. And they weren't just dead, they were torn apart.

When the young Shepard had joined the Alliance a couple of years later, she had been the focus of a small scandal involving a fist-fighting group that went far beyond simple sparring. There had been reports of deaths, though nothing could definitively be pinned on Shepard.

Her penchant for violence, fed by an apparent desire for revenge, only grew as the colony of Elysium was attacked. Partly at her urging, the Alliance Brass had ordered an attack on the moon of Torfan in retaliation, assigning the then Staff Lieutenant Shepard to the unit dispatched. Whatever the brass had expected, they got a near total massacre, led by a blood-soaked Shepard when the major commanding the unit balked. While brutal, it got the point across to the Batarians, who noticeably curtailed their raids on Alliance territory. Since the objective was achieved, Shepard received a quiet promotion to Lieutenant Commander and was told to keep quiet.

It had been nearly 6 years since that bloodbath had occurred, and the Commander was now called the Butcher of Torfan in whispers and behind closed doors. Not my first choice for a commanding officer.

I scanned along the dock, wanting to put off the introduction to my new superior officer, as from her file she seemed more like the villain than the hero.

_I'd better get it over with._

Letting out a big breath, I strode up to the airlock and entered.

_Hmm, never would have known that from the games. This decontamination process kinda tingles._

I stepped through the inner hatch, glancing around the interior with a grin.

To my left was the cockpit, containing the ever snarky pilot Jeff "Joker" Moreau.

To my right was the CIC, the nerve center for the Normandy, where the navigation and fire control (among others) was done.

"Noob alert!" I heard from the left.

_Hello Seth Green_.

I snapped a salute.

"2nd Lieutenant Benjamin Johnston, Reporting for duty as assigned. Could you direct me to XO Shepard?"

Joker had turned his chair around and was now smirking at me, his eyebrows raised.

"Uptight much? Anyway, call me Joker, easier than Alliance Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau.

As for Shepard, I think she's in the Cargo Bay, stowing her weapons in the armory."

"Thank you," I say as I turn to walk to the stairs.

"Yeah, whatever."

I always did like Joker, kind of a refreshing change from all the earnest angst from the rest of the crew.

I was carrying a duffel across my back, containing what few personal belongings I had, and in my left hand was a case containing both my armor and my prized sniper rifle.

I was also slightly wider in body than before, as I found out when trying to walk down the stairs and found it a tight fit in places. I managed by turning sideways. It seems that game layouts were mostly to make sure you didn't get stuck.

I walked into the lift at the bottom of the stairs and set down the case, hitting the button in the process. As I remembered the lift took a while, so I might as well leave it there until we arrived.

As I waited, as many players had before me, I thought

_Why are these elevators so slow?_

Truth be told, it was less than 30 seconds.

When the door opened, I was face to face with the much debated, legendary Commander Shepard.

The first thing that caught my attention were her eyes. They were blue, not the combination of white and grey that is so common, but cobalt Alliance blue. Her face was heart shaped, and framed by curtains of chocolate brown that dropped to her chin.

Oh, and she reached to maybe my collarbone, no higher.

Her bow shaped mouth twitched into a smirk, and I realized I had been staring.

My heels snapped together, and my arms became rigid at my sides by reflex.

"Commander, 2nd Lieutenant Benjamin Johnston, reporting as assigned."

Her smirk became an open grin.

"At ease soldier, but stay there, your locker is upstairs next to the med bay. I hear you'll be assisting the Doctor."

I relax slightly, but not too much. This is my commanding officer after all.

Shepard reached across me and flicked the button to start the lift upward again, and stepped in beside me.

We began ascending and she turned to face me, shifting her weight into one hip.

"You fresh from the Academy, kid?"

I stare at her.

"I can tell because of the steel rod along your spine." As she continues speaking, her grin turns to a grimace, "Don't worry, whatever stories you've heard about my being a bitch are exaggerated."

"Yes, ma'am. Graduated yesterday."

The Commander mimed a cringe, "Call me Shepard, kid. You'll find that as far as discipline goes, I'm pretty laid back unless we're in the field."

By this time, we've arrived at the Crew deck. I pick up my case and step out, Shepard following me. We walk over to the lockers, and Shepard indicates that the locker closest to the bulkhead is mine. As I open the locker with a tap of my dog-tags and begin siphoning my belongings into it, Shepard leans on another locker with her shoulder and asks

"So, tell me about you, kid."

"Not much to tell, as you guessed earlier, just graduated from the Academy. Took an unusual specialization though. An Infiltrator/Medic combo. So I can provide sniper cover, hack and sabotage, as well as patch you up when you get hit. I can handle an assault rifle, but its nothing special. I can make a sniper rifle dance.

Not sure what else you want to hear about."

Shepard shrugs, "I like to get to know my crew. I hear you have some pretty crazy ideas regarding physics."

Yeah, that was something different about the new me, or was it the old me...getting tough to keep them straight.

Anyway, gamer me was interested in physics, but hated the math component. Some unpleasant associations with the busywork that is always included by math teachers.

On the other hand, marine me was a physics enthusiast, and programming expert, though a lot of the concepts are barely recognizable from the 21st century.

"Its true that I've got some theories about sensor applications. I'm pretty much an all around nerd or geek, whichever term you wanna use. Won't attempt to deny it, since I'm also a nerd that can take out a target at 1000 yards." I smirk.

That brings out a matching smile on the Commander's face. She rises out of her lazy lean, and begins walking in the direction of the stairs.

"Good meeting you Lieutenant,"

"Call me Ben, if you would, Shepard."

"Its a deal" She disappeared around the corner.

I pause for a moment.

That was a little strange, from her file I was expecting some cold monster. What I got was a likable friendly officer who isn't above mixing with the ranks.

I finish loading my locker and close it with a tap to a button.

I should probably go meet Dr Chakwas, since I'll be working with her.

I round the corner into the Med Bay.

Always kinda made me wonder how they can do anything useful in such low light levels.

"Dr Chakwas? I'm Lieutenant Ben Johnston, I'll be one of your corpsmen."

The doctor looks up from her terminal and smiles.

_Why is it that people's eyes are so much more prominent in real life?_

Now that I can get a good look at the doctor, I can see why she ends up as the mother figure for the squad.

Her grey eyes are overflowing with life and compassion.

"Hello Lieutenant, since you and I will be working together, please call me Karin."


	3. Chapter 3

The rest of my first day aboard the Normandy was spent helping Karin interview the crewmen, so she could establish a baseline. Because there is only so much a file can tell you.

I say I helped. What I really mean is that I was her receptionist and tech support. Well inside my comfort zone. I actually don't mind meeting new people, I tend to get along with almost anyone.

But no matter how enjoyable the day was, actually partly because of it, my energy faded and seeped away. At 2100 I entered my sleeping pod with relief.

Apparently my two minds had different sleep schedules, because I woke up less than 4 hours later. I deluded myself that I'd go right back to sleep for about 10 minutes, but then I gave in and stepped out of my pod.

Whenever I can't sleep, I generally fiddle with my toys; whether that means my Xbox or my omnitool. So naturally, I whipped out my omnitool and tried figuring out the best ways to detect some large scale mass distortions, such as shields or a drive core field.

With my nose buried deep in the yellow tinted screen, I walked towards the mess to sit down.

As a result, I totally didn't notice the figure in the shadow of the partition. That is until they spoke.

"Can't sleep kid?"

I whirl around and saw that Shepard was sitting across a chair and leaning against the partition.

She chuckled, and I look down at myself.

In the second or two it took me to turn, I had somehow activated an Omni-blade and was crouched in a defensive stance.

_Well, at least my reflexes have improved. If in a somewhat paranoid direction._

I forced myself to relax, turning off the blade. _Odd, thought they didn't have these until 2185._

"Sorry Shepard, little jumpy I guess."

"No Problem. Didn't mean to startle you, thought you'd seen me."

My lips twitch upward on one side,

"I must have looked pretty ridiculous."

"Little bit, yes."

"What's keeping you up?"

She leaned her head back on the wall, and exhaled slowly. Then she mumbled something.

"Sorry, didn't catch that."

She looked at me and said more clearly "Nightmares."

I sat down across the corner from her. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Shepard didn't speak for a while, but leaned forward off the wall, putting her head in her hands for a moment. When she came up for air, she was leaning over the table.

She whispered "I used to be so different...sure of myself, even when others balked."

Her eyes drifted in my direction, but I don't think she really saw me.

"You've probably heard stories, that's why you never really relaxed when we met."

In a brittle voice, "I'll never be..." Her voice broke "...I'll never be free of it" by the time she finished, she was almost inaudible.

I reached out and touched her fingers, which were now splayed out against the surface of the table. Shepard looked up at me, startled that I had touched her. Her eyes were wide and red with unshed tears.

"I admit that I had some reservations, but your manner surprised me. If I didn't really relax, it was only because you are my commanding officer, and I wanted to make a good impression."

I was shocked. No matter what origin you pick, Shepard is always emotionally untouchable until you romance them.

Whatever is going on here, she needs some support, some reassurance.

"I want you to know that I will only be judging based on your future actions, Shepard."

I dropped my eyes to my lap. "I know what its like to be a subject of prejudice. I don't want to add to it."

At this, Shepard seemed to catch herself, and she jerked her hands back. Her shoulders, instead of being slumped like they had been a moment ago, were now straight. Her striking eyes were blinking rapidly.

After a moment, Shepard stood, and looking at me, said "Thank you," in a firm voice.

Then she walked away.

_Hmm, In the games, Shepard was always larger than life. Sort of, I dunno, not really human._

I face-palmed myself.

_Better get used to the fact that this is your life now. Shepard IS human, just as much as you._

_Anyway, back to the new sensor idea. I seem to remember that there was some kind of interferometer used back in the 21st for gravitational waves..._

Long story short, I managed to tire myself out with nerding, and headed back to my pod until morning.

At 0700 I woke, and hit the showers. Did you know the SR1 had showers? The bulkhead between the staircases on the crew deck has a pair of doors. One leading to the toilets and the other leading to the communal showers.

Ship movement was at 0900, and my duty station (the Med Bay) is easy to daydream at until we get some casualties. Not that I was hoping for any.

The All clear was given, and soon I felt the slight rumble of getting underway.

I opened up my Omnitool and started looking for ways to back up my customizations.

I found a decent service that reminded me of Dropbox back home, and set up my tool to use it.

_I'm still not used to the speed. I would have given a lot for this kind of bandwidth back then._

As we traveled in the direction of the Charon relay, I heard the PA system come online.

**"Arcturus Prime Relay is in range, beginning transmission sequence."**

**"We are connected, calculating transit mass and destination."**

**"The relay is hot, acquiring approach vector."**

**"All stations, secure for transit."**

**"The board is green, approach run has begun."**

**"Hitting the relay in...3...2...1..."**

There was a jolt, as if someone just hit the gas and we sped up by about 10 miles per hour.

"**Thrusters, check. Navigation, check. Internal emissions sink engaged. All systems online. Drift, just under 1500k"**

At this point, the PA system went quiet.

We're outside the Solar System.

I turned to Karin and asked her "Why did you join the Alliance?"

"I was a bit of a romantic, thought I'd get in on the adventure that comes with space travel."

She looked up from the terminal she was working at. Her lips twisted into an expression that was part smirk and part grimace.

"I suppose I thought I'd be treating handsome soldiers with piercing eyes and sensitive souls."

Karin's eyes began to travel up and down my frame with a teasing glint in them.

"Now why couldn't you have shown up before I gave up on that dream, Lieutenant?"

I put on a sad expression and bowed, "My lady, I shall find a time machine and rectify that at once."

We looked at one another for a moment, and then broke out laughing.

"And why did you join, young man? I know it wasn't to fulfill this old ladies fantasies."

My eyes raised towards the ceiling in contemplation.

"I suppose I wanted to do some good. And most of the other applications for my skills would just be to safeguard spoiled tycoons' fortunes."

Karin gave me a direct look. "That's awfully cynical of you, for one so young."

"I've often been a pessimist, but I do try to see the silver linings when possible."

I gave her a speculative glance. "I hear that you like to drink new recruits under the table, Doctor."

She nodded, and said "I've been known to put some cocky young people in their place, yes. But don't try and change the subject, Ben. You sound like this cynicism is something recent."

I took a breath and let it out slowly.

"Should have known that I couldn't hide it from you Doc."

I sat down heavily in a nearby chair.

"A couple of years back, my mom and youngest brother were injured quite severely, badly enough that for a day or two we weren't sure that they would pull through. Scariest days of my life. I had some weeks of being taught that bad things happen to good people, and only rarely can something be done about it.

I do believe in God, but most of the time it seems that He wants us to learn something through adversity."

My gaze dropped to my hands in my lap, but I raised it to Karin's eyes to find them full of compassion.

"I'm sorry to hear about that, Ben. Are they doing well now?"

"They're doing well. Both got the cloned replacement spleen, and are back to normal now, but just the ordeal has changed most of the family."

Just then, the PA system activated again.

**"Private Jenkins and Lieutenants Alenko and Johnston are to gear up and report to the cargo bay."**

I stood. Looking at Karin, I grunted "Duty calls."

She stood as well, placing her hand on my arm. "Be careful."

"I will," I called over my shoulder as I left the Med Bay.

I hustled over to my locker, and grabbed my gear. As I attached the leg guards, Shepard showed up at her own locker, which is apparently right next to mine.

"What's up, Shepard?"

"We're at Eden Prime, here to make a covert pickup. We just got a distress signal. Looks like the colony is under attack."

I put my bracers and spaulders on, followed by the chestpiece and backpiece.

Last of all, I grabbed my infiltrator's hood and attached my weapons to their lock-points.

"Ready Commander,"

"Be right there, hold the lift for me."

I jogged round the corner to the lift and kept it open. Moments later, Shepard hurtled into the lift, and I hit the button.

As we descended, I asked "So, 2 field medics, you must think we're up against something tough, or that we'll have a lot of casualties to deal with."

Shepard closed her eyes, and kept them shut, "I hope not, but that's what it looked like."

_That's a cheerful thought. Time to either keep silent or on mission only._

We arrived in the cargo bay and marched over to the door. Kaidan and Jenkins were already there.

Captain Anderson walked up.

"The mission is yours now commander,"

_That was abrupt, I thought he would give a whole pep talk._

"What about survivors, Captain?" piped up Kaidan.

"Helping survivors is a secondary objective; the Beacon is your top priority. Judging from the distress call we received, you may have a lot to deal with casualty-wise, so don't get bogged down."

**"Approaching Drop Point 1."**

At this, I got my first glimpse of another sentient species. Nihlus Kryik walked up, his shotgun already primed and ready.

The kid next to me, Jenkins sounded excited as he says "Nihlus? You're coming with us?"

_I haven't exchanged more than 10 words with the kid, but it didn't hit home until now just how much life was in him. I really need to save him._

_But what if I can't? From what I know, Kaidan is as good as I am._

Yes, I know I'm impulsive.

"I move faster on my own" came the double-toned voice.

_A turian's voice is more awesome than I thought it would be._

And with that, Nihlus leaped out of the now open bay door.

"Ready to go, Commander." I said, my nerves providing a little shake to my voice.

**"Approaching Drop Point 2."**

The Commander moved forward a few steps, then turned back to us.

She gestured with the shotgun she held, saying "Move Out."

"Aye Aye, Ma'am" came the chorus, and we jumped to the ground of Eden Prime.

_It begins. But how it ends, not even I know._


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the support thus far. I want to thank KennethRose and his story Among the Stars for being my inspiration.**

I had never thought about it before, but the Normandy is a little too high off the ground for just jumping out the door to be altogether safe.

The thing is, I just floated down to the ground with no more impact than walking down some stairs.

_I need to look up how we did that. Probably has something to do with the Normandy's drive core_.

Just as my training directed, I pulled out my rifle, and found some cover to keep watch while the Commander appraised the situation.

At a sharp hand signal from Shepard, I moved forward, Kaidan in front of me, and Jenkins and Shepard at either side.

I caught a whiff of something on the wind, and I didn't recognize it. It almost reminded me of barbecue, but it had a foul greasy quality I'd never smelled before.  
As we moved forward, I realized what I had smelled.

_Must not hurl, must not hurl._

We had found the first casualties.

They were badly burned, charred and blackened, but their form was still clearly human.  
_This is why I never went further with my medical training back in the 21st. I had difficulty seeing the human body in a way it shouldn't be._

"Commander, casualties. Looks like civilians." I choked out.  
"Acknowledged."

We moved our way forward, leapfrogging, covering each other.  
The terrain is rocky, yet surrounded by greenery. I saw the trademark chest high walls that indicated a coming firefight in a Mass Effect game.  
I glanced at my motion tracker, and saw several blips moving toward us just as Jenkins moved forward.  
"Commander, Hostiles," I shouted and lunged forward at Jenkins.

I was too late.

Jenkins was out in the open, yards from any cover, when the drones swept in with guns blazing.  
I was only feet away when his head was thrown back with the first impact.  
"NO!"  
I knocked Jenkins out of the line of fire and behind a large rock.  
I could hear Shepard shouting orders to Kaidan and more gunfire, but I ignored it.  
I quickly examined the kid. He'd taken several hits to the torso, but they didn't look like projectile impacts. More like burns.  
I checked the depth, and they didn't seem too deep.  
The fight behind me faded to static in my ears.  
I pulled out a packet of medi-gel and slathered it on the wounds. Jenkins eyes were open and darting from place to place. They locked onto my own eyes as I finished applying the wonder-goo and ran a quick check on his vitals. His suit's medical interface had taken a hit, so I was forced to check the old fashioned way. I pressed 2 fingers to his carotid vein in the neck and I waited.  
He was clearly breathing, though erratically. His pulse was quick and thready.  
_He has to make it! It's my fault if he doesn't!_  
The only sound I heard was Jenkins' ragged breaths.  
"I need some help over here!" I shouted, not breaking eye contact.  
The fight was over, and moments later, Kaidan was bent over Jenkins across from me.  
I grabbed a quick injection of epinephrine, still the best treatment for shock even after all these years, and dosed him with it.  
_I wish I had the equipment to set up a transfusion._  
Kaidan was going over my dressing of his wounds, but before he could finish, Jenkins convulsed.  
I trie to hold him down, but he only moved once and then went still.  
I checked his pulse again but found nothing.  
"Come on!" I whispered. I began CPR.

*thrust*

*thrust*

*thrust*

*thrust*

*thrust*

I stopped my compressions and gave a breath, but stopped when I felt a hand on my shoulder.  
"He's gone."

The words were quiet, gentle, but hearing them felt like icicles through the chest.

I stared at Jenkins' motionless body, my hands lying uselessly in my lap.  
I don't know how long I sat there, I was numb, disbelieving.

The hand on my shoulder squeezed slightly, even through my armor.  
I looked up into the face of Commander Shepard.  
Her glorious eyes held a strength that I didn't have.

"We need to keep moving, you've done all you can. We'll provide what we can for him when the mission is done."  
I slowly got to my feet, my mind churning.

_He's dead!...It's all my fault!...It's the Geth's Fault!_

All at once, the ice that had collected in my heart melted in an inferno of rage.  
I grabbed my rifle and checked it over. Everything was in working order.  
I looked back to Shepard, my teeth bared.  
"Ready to get some payback Commander."  
"Stay focused" was her reply.

The next few minutes were a blur. We saw hostiles and gunned them down, until we saw someone running in pink and white armor.  
We crouched behind some cover, as it was obvious the runner was fleeing from something.  
I peered through my scope to see some Geth troopers dragging a struggling man toward a Dragon's Tooth, or whatever those spikes are called.  
I tried to line up a shot, but I would risk hitting the runner. I began to change position, hoping to help the man, but I was too slow. I watched, helpless, as the poor man was impaled.

The runner reached some cover in the middle of the clearing and readied an assault rifle.  
Now that my shot was clear, I let off 3 precise shots into the approaching geth.  
They dropped, leaking fluids and sparking.  
After a quick sweep over the clearing through the scope, I lowered my weapon and after a nod from the Commander, collapsed and stowed the rifle.  
The 3 of us walked forward to the lone marine.  
"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212, You the one in change here Ma'am?"  
Meanwhile I linked into her suit's medical systems on my omnitool, and saw that there wasn't anything serious.  
"Nothing serious, Commander."  
My duty done for the moment, I began scanning for more hostiles.  
_I need to take out more of them._

I tried several different settings on my locator software before hitting on a communication carrier wave in very different band from Alliance protocol.  
Analyzing the number of nodes trading packets on the channel, I could see that perhaps 30 individual units were likely in the area.  
"Commander, I think I've been able to estimate the number of hostiles."  
I hadn't been paying attention to the conversation, so when both Ashley and Shepard glared at me it was the first I knew that I had interrupted.  
I made a face, "Sorry ma'am."  
"What did you find?"  
"I was scanning for some kind of clue as to the numbers or location of the hostiles, and I stumbled across a carrier wave. Not Alliance standard. I began monitoring the connection, and was able to identify about 30 unique nodes. I would expect at least that many hostiles Commander. I wasn't able to get any more information than that immediately, as the packets were all encrypted. but given some time, I may be able provide locations."  
"Not enough time for that at the moment, but keep it on the back burner. If these synthetics really are Geth, and they become a frequent contact, that could be very useful."  
"Aye, aye. I'll set a background process to monitor and record as much information as possible, so I can take the idea further."  
I pressed a few buttons and then readied my rifle again.  
"Good to go, Shepard."  
"Move out!"  
Ashley having joined us, we were back up to full strength.  
Moving forward, Ashley took us to the dig site, where we encountered more geth.  
I took a fierce satisfaction in sniping them down.  
Once the area was clear, Shepard and Ashley began discussing the beacon and what happened to it. I raise my left arm to check on the data gathering.

_It can't be that simple, can it? This looks like a more advanced form of the old ad hoc wireless networks. Even though its encrypted that should tell me a lot about them._

I quickly hooked into several of the local extranet access points, slaving them to my 'tool and turning them into sensors.  
I looked up at Shepard, and hearing a pause in the conversation, spoke up.  
"Commander, I have some good news."  
"Glad to hear it, Doc. What've you got?"  
I grinned at the nickname. "I've managed to turn my tool and some local receivers into locators for individual geth platforms. It'll nearly cut off civilian extranet usage, but I figure that's an acceptable cost for knowing where the hostiles are ahead of time."  
Shepard's eyebrows have raised, and a small smile has appeared.  
"Keep it up, Doc. Seems those stories I've heard are true."  
She turned to Ashley and said "You said that the camp is at the top of the ramp?"  
Williams nodded.  
Shepard turned back to me "Can you overlay your data on our HUDs?"  
"Too easy, Shepard." I tapped a quick sequence into my omnitool. "Done,"  
A dusting of targets now graced the directional map on my helmet.  
Shepard raised her shotgun. "Move out, Williams has point."  
As we moved up the ramp, I began to wonder  
_Why haven't we heard from Nihlus in a while?_  
I was dragged from my musings by the scream of Husks.  
Ashley mowed them down, having seen them moving first.  
_This is getting familiar for some reason. Oh! that's right! The game._

_...and I just lost the game. Dang._  
_Its getting tougher to remember. I should tell someone soon, probably Shepard._  
_Focus._

I heard a gunshot in the distance.  
At that moment, we heard something moving around in one of the sheds.  
Shepard looked to me with a question in her eyes. I shook my head, not geth.  
She nodded and motioned for Kaidan to hack the lock.  
Moments later, it was open.  
_I'll need to remember that. I'm not the only one with tech skills._  
I got to stand guard at the door, so I didn't hear much of the hurried discussion with the surviving science team, only catching that the beacon was now at the spaceport.

Shepard moved out after a couple of minutes and we headed in the direction of the docks.  
Something didn't feel right.  
I got an ache behind my ears.  
I felt a rumble through the ground.  
I saw the leaves vibrating  
Sulphur assaulted my nostrils.  
We rounded a corner and saw a nightmare made real.  
From a cloud of darkness, a demon rose, tentacles curled, a malevolent glow arcing between them.  
"What is that? Off in the distance."  
"Its a Ship. Look at the size of it."  
I was too absorbed in terror at what I saw to take note of who said what.  
I tore my eyes from the titan in the sky to see that we had hostiles approaching.  
"Incoming!"  
The fight was over quickly, thanks to some explosive canisters left lying around helpfully.  
We had reached some sort of docks.  
We kept moving forward, and soon find a more familiar casualty.  
_Nihlus, I'm sorry._  
"A turian? You know him?" Ashley piped up.  
Kaidan explained "He's a Spectre. He was with us on the Norma-"

She cut him off, raising her assault rifle, "Something's moving! Over behind those crates!"  
A terrified voice screeched "Wait! Don't-Don't shoot! I'm one of you! I'm human."  
It was difficult to tell if they were male or female. Their fear distorted things so.  
Shepard had also raised her shotgun, but lowered it when an obviously frightened dock worker came out from behind the crates.  
"Sneaking up on us like that nearly got you killed!" Shepard reproached.  
The little man flinched at her tone, "I...I'm sorry. I was hiding. From those creatures."  
Relaxing a little, he went on.  
"My name's Powell. I saw what happened to that turian. The other one shot him."  
Shepard was now using her mask of authority, leaving her very difficult to read. "I need to know how Nihlus died."  
Powell's voice was shaky as he replied. "The other one got here first. He was waiting when your friend showed up. He called him Saren. I think they knew each other.  
Your friend seemed to relax. He let his guard down...and Saren killed him. Shot him right in the back. I'm just lucky he didn't see me behind the crates."  
Shepard's gaze was unwavering. "Where did Saren go after he killed Nihlus?"  
Powell shifted his feet, looking down at the ground and then back up. "He jumped on the cargo train and headed over to the other platform. Probably going after the beacon.  
I knew that beacon was trouble. Everything's gone to hell since we found it. First that damn mother ship showed up, then the attack.  
They killed everyone. Everyone! If I hadn't been behind the crates I'd be dead, too!"  
Shepard raised an eyebrow, "How come you're the only one who survived? Why didn't anyone else try to hide behind the crates?"  
Powell brought his fingers together, moving them nervously, looking down again. "They never had a chance. I...I was already behind the crates when the attack started."  
Kaidan's eyes flew up "Wait a minute. You were hiding behind the crates before the attack?"  
"I..." Powell took a breath seemingly to calm himself. "I sometimes need a nap to get through my shift. I sneak off behind the crates to grab forty winks where the supervisor can't find me."  
Ashley was grinding her teeth. "You survived because you're lazy?"  
I growled "Why should slackers like you survive while brave marines die in your defense?"  
Powell seemed to fold in on himself, almost shrinking before the anger.  
Shepard held up a hand to both of us, "We need to find that beacon before its too late."  
Powell said "Take the cargo train, that's where the other turian went."  
Mention of turians seemed to remind him of Nihlus, and he glanced down at the cooling corpse then flinched again.  
"I...I can't stay here. I need to get away from all this."  
I felt a surge of anger at this, but reigned myself in.  
_We don't have time for this. There are people counting on us._

"This is getting tense, Shepard." I say as we turn from the shaky dock worker.  
A blip on my tracker flashed.  
"Tangos coming up the ramp!"  
The Commander was already moving in a blur of blue light.  
Before I could blink, there was nothing left of the geth attackers but a scattering of random parts surrounding Shepard.  
Ashley was the first to speak. "...Damn, Shepard."  
I manage to sputter "What she said."  
"These buckets of bolts won't wait for us to get there before hurting more people," she retorted, her lip curled in distaste.  
"Can you do that, Lieutenant?" I looked over at Kaidan.  
"Might be able to learn it, but the Commander is a bit of a phenomenon among biotics.  
Doesn't necessarily spike high, but she does amazing stuff like that on instinct almost."  
I don't know if anyone else noticed it, but Kaidan's face turned quietly wistful.  
"I'm just that good," Shepard deadpanned. "Looks like we have some more on the train."

_How long is that track? I might need to extend the range, or link into some receivers on the far end of the line._

"One moment Shepard," my fingers tapped at my 'tool "updating the tracker for the far end."  
A few seconds ticked by as I gained access to the remote hardware and integrated them into my sensor web.  
"Done."  
Shepard smiled indulgently. "Just be sure to give us collaborator credit in the paper you'll write, Doc."

"Can't let something slip by without your share of the glory, eh, Shepard?"  
Her small smile turned once more into a fond smirk.  
"Move out."

I actually had a bit of fun sniping the geth on board the tram. Long enough range to make it a challenge for anything but sniping.  
Forced overload would probably have been more speedy, but I refrained.  
I felt my lips curl into a snarl of satisfaction as I looked down the scope at something that has it coming. Lost myself in the thrill of satisfaction as my rifle bucked and the round hit home in the heart of the mechanical monster's structure.  
My battle haze thinned as Shepard placed a hand on my shoulder and I realized that I had been putting rounds into an already dead geth, and a sudden stab of pain told me that I had taken a round to my left shoulder.  
I looked around to find that all the geth in the area were dead.

I turned back to Shepard. Her face was unreadable, yet her eyes shouted concern.  
I ducked my head. "Sorry ma'am."  
Her mask broke for a moment, revealing sympathy, but only for a moment.  
"Take a few minutes to rest up. The transit will take a while."  
"Aye Aye."

Shepard and Kaidan walked towards the front of the tram, chatting quietly.

I sat down, my back to one of the consoles, attempting to dress my shoulder wound. Ashley sunk down across from me. her eyes looking hooded and sunken.  
It was a surprise when she spoke "You were pretty into killing those geth. I know why I want them dead, why is it so personal for you?"

_Because I lost my first patient thanks to them._

I didn't speak for nearly a full minute. "We lost a crewmen to them, just after we landed. I was trying to treat his injuries, so I felt it when he died."  
I looked up to meet Ashley's eyes.

_Why is it that I always seem to be awestruck by people's eyes?_

Ash's eyes were a sparkling caramel brown that you just can't get on a tv screen.  
"You lost a lot more people, yet you're holding it together so much better." I spat.  
"It may seem that way, but I'll tell you a secret." She raised a hand to hide her mouth from view.  
"I only put it off, once the mission is over, I completely fall apart for a few hours at the least."  
She raised a lone eyebrow, "Now, if you spread that around, you know I'll gut you."  
I felt the corner of my mouth rising. "Of course, a reputation to maintain and all that." I paused. "Thanks."  
I heard a shout from the front of the tram.  
"Break's over." Ash said, "and don't mention it."  
We both rose, and made our way to Shepard and Kaidan just as the tram came to a stop.  
Something tickled my memory. Each time it happened it seemed to be less noticeable.  
My eyes came upon a ridged cylinder of metal on the deck beside the tram.  
I don't know which one of us shouted it, but the words "Demolition Charges!" resounded from the surrounding structures.  
I rushed forward, to find that the explosives were on a timer.

Have you ever had moments when you seemed aware of nothing and yet everything at the same time? When your senses seem to sharpen and everything happens slowly, yet it is over before you know it?  
There is virtuosity to be found in such a mindset. Where all you know and see seems to crystallize, and you act quickly and decisively.  
This was me as I worked to defuse the bombs. I was barely aware of the others' gunfire. There was only the display in front of me and the deactivation sequence, and the thought:  
_I can't let others die because of me._  
When I felt the power-down on the fourth device, I found myself without a new task.

I gave a quick shake of my head to clear it, and called to Shepard, "All clear, Shepard. Bombs defused, but we have another few geth nearby, judging by the tracker."  
"Good work. I think I can see the beacon from here."  
I glanced in the direction Shepard was facing and took it in. A tall monolith of dull black and green.  
_Like a Necron building from Warhammer 40k_

Shrugging off that random thought,I pulled out my rifle, and scanned through the scope until I was facing the location of one of the geth on my tracker. I saw some cargo crates that the geth unit was likely hiding behind. Even better, I could see a volatile materials canister beside them.  
"Hostiles located. Say the word, Commander."  
I could **hear** the smirk in her voice as she said "The word."

I let off the shot, and the canister became a beautiful explosion of arcing lightning. The geth I had suspected to be hiding staggered back under the onslaught of energy. It fell to the ground motionless and sparking.  
Even though the docks were made almost entirely out of metal and plastic, the geth came out of the woodwork.  
We all opened fire on the approaching hostiles.  
After recovering from the kick of my last shot, I glanced aside to catch a feral glee slide onto Ash's face as she held the trigger of her assault rifle.  
The docks went quiet as the last husk dropped to the ground.  
Kaidan and Ash moved forward a few feet to secure the beacon and I stiffened as I looked at Shepard.  
"We need to be sure to take care of Jenkins, ma'am."  
Shepard nodded. "Agreed," then her head jerked a bit in surprise, her eyes looking over my shoulder.

I whirled and saw both Ash and Kaidan slowly being pulled in the direction of the beacon like they were struggling against a high wind.  
Shepard was already moving. As I moved to Ash's side, since she was closer to me, Shepard grabbed Kaidan around the middle.  
I took hold of Ash similarly, and with a lurch, threw her clear. Kaidan landed near her a moment later.  
I found myself turned, facing the beacon, and my vision started to go dark. My feet left the floor.

I saw flashes of orange and black, the outline of the Citadel, skyscrapers. Something pulsing. Robotic legs. Something reaching up in agony. There was more, but it went by too quickly.

The Beacon suddenly exploded. Both Shepard and I were thrown backward. I landed on my butt, but I barely noticed. I couldn't see anything but the images. I felt an increasing fear and anxiety from the images. I let out a shout of dismay. I saw a Reaper rush at me and screamed.

I may have lain there for hours or seconds, but when I came to myself, I found that I had been clenching my fists so hard that I had cracked several of the plates in my armored gloves. They were digging into my palms and i noticed a warm wetness dripping down my fingers.  
I scrambled to my feet and lurched over to Shepard. She had apparently landed hard and struck her head.  
"Call Normandy for a pickup!" I shouted as I began to check her vitals.  
She had a concussion, judging by the way her pupils dilated.  
As I worked, I heard Kaidan calling for evac.

_Stay with me, Shepard. Stay with me!_


	5. Chapter 5

Shepard was unconscious and injured. I was bleeding and shaken.  
As if having two sets of memories weren't difficult enough. I also now had the Prothean vision along with Shepard.  
When the Normandy arrived for our pickup, what little was left of the Beacon was still smoking, the embers of charred technology glowing.  
Shepard began stirring as we carried her gently on board. I checked her pupils again.  
Still uneven. Not that I'm surprised. Between that mind rape we both just got and her concussion, she'll have a rough time coming out of it.  
I fell to my knees with reliving the shock of the vision. Ashley handed off her end of the stretcher to a waiting serviceman and rushed over to help me up.  
Even thinking about it was difficult. Have you ever had a thought that was so unpleasant, that when it crossed your mind you couldn't help but shudder? It was kind of like that, instead of being an individual thought; it's a minute long video sequence of horror.  
Hopefully it fades a bit in intensity over time.  
Ashley wrapped an arm around my waist and ducked under my arm. Together we staggered toward the medical bay.  
As we waited for the elevator in the Cargo Bay, I managed to get some words out.  
"Thanks."  
Ashley glanced over, her brows furrowed in worry. "I...I owe you. I was caught in whatever that was from the beacon. And you pulled me out of it only to get caught yourself."  
Her breathing hitched, and she looked at the ground. "And you're someone I know I can help without failing."  
We limped into the elevator. I leaned us up against the now closed door as we began rising.  
I turned so my hands were on Ashley's shoulders and after a moment looked her in the eye.  
_Everything is more distracting in real life. *sigh*_  
"Ashley, why do you think you failed?"  
"Are you kidding? I lost my entire unit!" Her eyes were swimming with tears, turning the caramel brown molten with emotion, but she blinked them back, refusing to cry.  
"Ash, what could you have done? I'll tell you what you could have done. You could have gotten yourself killed by those metal bastards."  
She ducked her head, squeezing her eyes shut, shame coloring her face.  
"Its okay to grieve. Just don't let it destroy you. The Alliance needs you, whether it knows it or not. We need you."  
At this, steel seemed to crawl up her spine and she raised her head, determined. I squeezed her shoulders slightly, knowing that she'd feel it through the armor.  
"Thank you." She leaned in and suddenly my arms were around her and she was hugging me around the waist.  
I realized that Ash is quite a bit shorter than me.  
I never noticed that before. She's taller than Shepard, but only just.  
I managed to mumble after a few seconds "You stiffened my spine before. Time for me to return the favor."  
Feeling steadier on my feet, I straightened and offered my right hand.  
"We didn't really get a formal introduction before. I'm Lieutenant Benjamin Johnston, but most call me either Ben or 'Doc'."  
She took my hand in her own right hand and promptly squeezed hard enough to make my bones creak.  
As I winced in pain, Ash's eyes sparkled over a cocky grin. "Getting a little soft there, sir. You could use a workout. Call me Ash."  
At this point I wriggled my hand out of her grip and shook it slightly. The elevator stopped moving and the door lowered to reveal the Crew Deck.  
I took first one step, then another, feeling steadier each time.  
Turning back towards Ash who had been watching, I said, "I'm good now, Ash. Why don't you go report to the Captain. I'm sure he'll want to hear about what happened."  
The corner of her mouth drew down, showing a few teeth in dismay as her eyes widened slightly.  
"Don't worry, Captain Anderson is a decent guy."  
Ash still looked nervous, but nodded. "See ya around, Doc."  
I nodded myself and walked to the Med Bay.  
Karin looked up from the medical monitors surrounding Shepard to see me. Her eyes narrowed, likely seeing my shoulder wound. She checked something on Shepard's monitors and then bustled over to me, firmly pressing me down onto one of the beds.  
"I'm fine," I protested, but it didn't deter the doctor in the slightest from berating me about needing to be more careful.  
"You marines, always doing something to get yourself hurt."  
_She sounds like Mom._  
I ducked my head. "Sorry, I was just so angry about Jenkins."  
That stopped her short. "I'm sorry. I know you did everything you could." She put a comforting hand on my unwounded shoulder.  
I stared at my hands, not really seeing them. I could only see the fear-filled eyes of Private Jenkins just before they closed forever.  
"I couldn't save him. I was there to save lives, but I couldn't. Why couldn't I save him, Karin?"  
"Its always hard to lose a patient. You don't really ever get used to it."  
I tried to shake myself out of my depression. "How's Shepard?"  
"She'll be fine." Karin glanced back over at Shepard. "A mild concussion, but I'm seeing a lot of rapid eye movement."  
"Probably got hit with the same thing I did." At Karin's interested look, I elaborated.  
"We found the beacon we were there for, but it dragged both of us into the air in front of it. I saw some kind of vision while it held me." I shudder. "It was terrible, but I can't really make much out of the images and feelings other than an overall sense of dread and despair. I came out of it clenching my fists hard enough to do this." I held up my hands to show the cracked plates, and then removed my gloves so she could treat the cuts.  
As she dabbed more wonder-goo onto my hands, Karin's brows knitted in concern. "You think she's reliving that?"  
I shuddered again. "I certainly hope not. But, yeah, that's what I think. She hit her head on the deck plating when the beacon exploded. That's probably where she got the concussion."  
"You should rest. With something that traumatic on top of losing Jenkins you'll need some time to recover."  
"With all due respect Doctor, I feel the need to be doing something, anything."  
Karin's hand patted my wrist gently. "You've done all you can. At this point we all have to wait until Shepard wakes up."  
I relaxed back against the bed with a sigh and my mouth tightened in a grimace. "Yes, mom."  
Her eyebrows raised and one corner of her mouth went up at the same time. "And if you forget it, I'll ground you for a week young man."  
After the roller coaster ride that the mission had been, I finally succumbed to sleep.  
It didn't last long.

I woke up to a scream. I was off the bed and crouched ready to defend before I realized it had been my own voice. My throat felt raw.  
"Its okay, you're safe." Karin's voice broke through my panic.  
"How long?" I sagged against the bed.  
"About an hour."  
I reached up to rub my eyes. "How's Shepard?"  
The glowing geometric shapes caused by pressure on my eyes scrubbed away the images of Reapers.  
"Her brain activity has skyrocketed, but she's still unconscious," said Kaidan.  
I hadn't realized he was in the room, so I jumped. My eyes darted around till they found him sitting next to Shepard's bed.  
I caught the slight grimace. He hadn't meant to startle me.  
I relaxed again.  
I lurched to my feet. "I think I need to walk around for a while. Get rid of the adrenaline. Let me know if you need me Karin."  
"Of course."  
I moved out the door to the Mess. The room wasn't empty, but it was close. Maybe 3 people total.  
I opened up my Omnitool to try and take my mind off my vision-induced anxiety.  
_Where was I in those field strength calculations?_  
I reached the table and sat down, my nose deep in my 'tool.  
"Hello Lieutenant." I looked up to find that I'd sat down across from Captain Anderson.  
"Sir," I said, trying to suppress the urge to jump to my feet and salute. I almost succeeded, but I still twitched with the beginnings of the motion before I caught myself.  
Anderson chuckled, a rich deep sound. "Relax, son." His smile faded, "I hear you had a rough time on Eden Prime."  
I closed my eyes, remembering the eager young Jenkins. "Yes sir. We had no idea what we walked into."  
I paused, considering.  
I need to tell someone sooner or later. Might as well tell the Captain.  
"Sir, I have something to tell you. It might sound crazy, but it's the truth. I'd appreciate it if we could keep it between us for now."  
Anderson raised an eyebrow, his eyes meeting mine for a long moment. "Of course, Lieutenant."  
He stood and motioned for me to follow. "We'll talk in my cabin."  
We walked the short distance into his cabin and the door closed behind me. Captain Anderson sat down in a chair facing me and motioned for me to do the same. I sat.  
"What's this about, son?"  
I took a deep breath.  
"Sir, like I mentioned earlier, this is going to sound crazy, but hear me out.  
I have in my head memories from two separate lives. One set from here and now. The other set from a time nearly 200 years ago, and a world where our lives are only a video game. This has been true since the night before I graduated from the Academy. The game I mentioned is called Mass Effect, and it follows the exploits of Commander Shepard, starting when we left from dock before Eden Prime and stretching 3 years or so into the future. If you need proof I can describe some things that you told her before we got the distress call."  
Anderson's eyes widened, and his hand came up to scratch at his chin.  
"Son, you were telling the truth, this does sound crazy. How can I know this isn't just brought on by being traumatized during the mission?"  
At this I leaned back in my chair with a sigh.  
"Sir, I know that Nihlus was here partly to evaluate Shepard as a Spectre candidate. I know about your history with Saren, how you were a Spectre candidate yourself, and that he sabotaged you while ruthlessly putting innocents in danger."  
I've never before had occasion to use the term gobsmacked, but it fit. Anderson looked as though I'd stepped on his favorite puppy, then brought it back to life. I took a moment to enjoy his expression and then forged on.  
"I wanted to tell you soon, because I'm slowly losing the memories of the other life."  
Anderson leaned forward in his seat, his eyes searching.  
"You're actually serious, this isn't some kind of prank?"  
I chuckled without humor. "I only wish it was, sir."  
Anderson sagged back into his chair. He raised his hands to frame his face on either side of his head, as if he had a headache.  
"What can you tell me?"  
"For one thing, sir, Shepard will become a Spectre and be tasked to take down Saren. She'll be given the Normandy as her ship. But the Council won't believe us until we have proof."  
Anderson leaned forward again, "What kind of proof?"  
"What I've seen work is a file salvaged from a geth memory core's audio banks.  
It's basically a recording of Saren exulting about his so-called victory on Eden Prime. We get it from a quarian named Tali'Zorah nar Rayya on the Citadel."  
I tried to remember where we meet Tali, but everything was fuzzy.  
"It's difficult to remember all the details until I'm in the situation, sir."  
Anderson still looked shocked, but he shook it off.  
"Lieutenant, we'll need to talk about this again later, but I want you and Shepard to find this quarian when we get to the Citadel."  
I straightened.  
"We might need some backup, sir."  
The Captain's eyes, previously clouded and confused, were now clear and focused.  
"If so, then we'll provide it, but I want this done quietly. You yourself said you wanted to keep this close to the chest."  
"Aye-aye sir."  
I tossed a salute.  
"We'll tell Shepard once we've met with the Ambassador."  
I made a face, and Anderson noticed. "Something about Udina?"  
My face still twisted in disgust, I replied, "Yes, sir. He's a snake, sir. More concerned with his own political power than the truth or what is best for anyone but himself."  
Anderson sighed. "I know, I just keep hoping he'll change for the better."  
I realized that there was something important I hadn't told Anderson yet.  
"Sir, the beacon. It beamed some sort of message into my head as well as Shepard's. It's a warning about the Reapers. Saren and his Geth are not the real threat. They're just puppets for these ancient civilization eating robots that the Protheans called the Reapers. They come through every 50 thousand years or so and wipe out all spacefaring life."  
I paused and looked down at my hands, "I know you have no real reason to believe me right now, sir. But if you take it on faith until we leave the Citadel, I'm sure you'll get further proof."  
The Captain looked at me for a long moment. "Well, it's obvious that you believe it. That will do for now. Is there anything further?"  
"Yes, sir. What about Gunnery Chief Williams?"  
Now Anderson looked confused again. "What about her? She's been assigned to the Normandy's marine complement for now."  
"Sir, her family has been black-listed in the Alliance for 3 generations now."  
Comprehension suddenly flooded the Captain's eyes, and he frowned slightly. "Ah, she's one of those Williams'."  
I scoot forward to the edge of my seat and look at the captain, not blinking.  
"Sir, I have a great deal of respect for you, but if you use what I just told you to in any way hold her back, I will have lost all respect for you. General Williams saved countless lives by surrendering. And while I applaud his actions, his family has done absolutely nothing to remotely deserve the treatment they get."  
Anderson leaned back and his eyes widened.  
"Easy there, soldier. I have no intention of doing anything of the sort. You feel strongly about this."  
"Yes, sir. In the other life, I was always made angry by the Alliance's treatment of the Williams family."  
A knowing look crossed the Captain's face.  
"I see. You should know then that while I am grateful you brought this to my attention, it is only because I'll need to take steps to prevent others from slapping her down."  
I let out a breath, relieved. "Thank you sir."  
He rose from his seat, and I rose as well. "If there is nothing else, dismissed."  
I saluted, and left his cabin.  
I walked over to the table again and sagged into the chair with relief.  
That's one down. I'm glad he believed me. No, glad doesn't cover it. There's just something about Anderson's voice that is comforting.  
My head was in my hands just above the surface of the table supported by my elbows.  
"Worried about Shepard?" a voice filtered through my fingers.  
"Among other things. Trying to get over losing Jenkins."  
I'm a terrible liar.  
I lowered my hands to find that Ash had joined me at the table.  
She was leaning back in her chair, her arms folded, and her head at a cocky angle.  
"I hear you're assigned to the Normandy now."  
"Yeah, seems like you and the Captain think alike."  
I smirked at that, "That's more compliment to me than him. Have you served on a ship before?"  
Ash shifted in her seat. "No, only ground-side garrison."  
I let my mouth open in supposed shock. "Really? With your skills? I can't think of a good reason why, unless you have a problem with authority that you've hidden really well so far."  
That pulled a wry grin out of Ash. "Really? I snuck something past the all-knowing Doc?"  
I widened my eyes and raised my brows. "Maybe."  
Her grin shattered. "Have you heard of any other Williams' in the Alliance?"  
"Of course, there is the great General Williams who saved so many lives at Shanxi."  
I don't think Ash could look more surprised if I whacked her in the face with a cat while asleep.  
Her mouth fell open and she attempted to say something, but it came out as, "guh, wha-how," then trailed off into an open mouthed gape.  
I pumped my fist into the air. "Success! I managed to fluster the unflappable Ashley Williams!"  
At this, she closed her mouth and straightened back up. "You got lucky. I've just never heard someone in the Alliance talk that way about my grandpa."  
I shrugged, "You'll notice, I said I couldn't think of a good reason. Not that there wasn't a terrible, unfair reason."  
"You already knew." Her mouth turned down into a sour frown, all her limbs tense, her hands palm down and pressing into the table.  
I smiled and spread my hands apart, palm up, in a 'that should be obvious' gesture.  
"All-knowing, remember? Besides, you already know I have different opinions than most."  
Some of the tension left her, and she said, "Sorry, I'm used to being defensive about it."  
_Wow, Ash apologized? Didn't really expect that._  
I reached out and placed my hand on hers.  
"I don't blame you, but I'd like to be your friend. Please try to remember that. If you need something, let me know, even if its just to talk."  
Ash met my eyes for a moment, then looked away.  
"Thanks, but why are you so nice to me?"  
I leaned forward, preparing to stand and rested my elbows on my knees. "I guess I figured that you got the short end of the stick. Besides, I got really messed up by losing one teammate, and you lost a whole platoon. You'll find that I'm a bit weird in a lot of ways, but I try to do the right thing."  
I stood and began walking to the stairs, but paused before I rounded the corner of the elevator shaft.  
I looked back and before my courage drained away, said to Ash, "Of course, you being gorgeous probably had something to do with it."  
Then before Ashley could respond, I nearly ran around the corner and began walking up the stairs.  
I didn't hear any footsteps behind me, so I assumed Ash remained sitting after my impulse compliment.

_She might have been surprised, or she might be offended. She seems to be the kind of person who doesn't like pity. I should probably get ready for the friend-zone talk. It always seems to happen when I let loose to impulse like that._

I reached the CIC, but then realized that I didn't have anything to do.

_I effectively blocked off going back down with that last comment to Ash, so I guess I'll go talk to Joker._  
I began walking toward the bridge, nodding to Pressley as I went.  
As I approached, the pilot's chair spun around to reveal Jeffrey 'Joker' Moreau.  
"You know, I knew you liked tech, but I didn't think you'd let it have its way with your mind."  
That brought a smirk to my lips.  
_Always good entertainment value._  
"What's up Joker?"  
He snorted and turned his chair back around to face the controls.  
"Are you sure you want me to answer that? I could do so much with that."  
"Spare me, where we at?" I said, stepping up behind his chair and looking out the windows at the star spangled blackness of space.  
"Just about to jump to FTL. Leaving the Utopia System."  
I sighed, "Meaning that we'll be doing absolutely nothing for a few hours."  
"Hey, not nothing." I raised an eyebrow. "Sometimes I have to push a button."  
I chuckled as I stepped away, "Don't strain yourself, Joker."  
"Yeah, keep it real, Doc."

_Wow, seems everyone's heard that one._

I walked back to the stairs, unsure of what to do next.  
At the bottom of the stairs I see someone walking into the open elevator.  
Once in, they turned around. It was Ash.  
The door began closing, and our eyes met for only a moment.

_Is that embarrassment or gratitude in her eyes?_

The door closed.  
I sighed and walked into the Med Bay.  
The next several hours I spent writing my official after-action report and waiting for Shepard to wake up.  
I looked up from my 'tool where I had been noodling around with overclocking various components when I heard Kaidan say "Doctor, Doctor Chakwas, I think she's waking up."  
I stood up from my chair across from Shepard's bed. Karin also walked over.  
"You had us worried there, Shepard. How do you feel?" Karin's British accent floated through the air.  
Shepard sat up and put her head in her hands. "Minor throbbing, nothing serious. The dreams on the other hand..."  
I step forward and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "If they're anything like the ones I had, I wouldn't blame you if you broke down, Shepard. The whole crew deck got treated to my girly screams when I woke up after we got back."  
She raised her head at the contact, "Doc, you got caught in it too?"  
I grimaced, "Unfortunately, yes. But I didn't get knocked cold from hitting the deck plating. That honor goes all to you, boss." I was grinning by the end of the sentence.

Shepard groaned and closed her eyes again, "You're never going to let me hear the end of that, are you, Doc?"  
I chuckled, "Of course not, you're Commander Shepard, I need to get my ammunition where I can."  
My brow furrowed and my grin disappears, "Shepard, did you get a vision of synthetics killing people?"  
Her shoulders slumped as if a heavy weight was just dropped on them. Then she shuddered.  
"Yes."  
I looked around at the other occupants of the room, and found that they were staring at Shepard, one with concern on her face, and the other with frustration at being nearly ignored.  
I started walking to the door, "I should inform the Captain that you're awake."  
Shepard looked at me over the shoulder of Kaidan, who is attempting to take the blame for her being caught, and nods, "Go ahead."  
I left the Med Bay, and walked over to the CO quarters.  
I tapped the annunciator, and said through the door, "Captain? Shepard is awake."  
I hear a slightly muffled reply, "Understood, I'll be right there."  
l nodded and walked away.  
Sitting at the table as the Captain walked by, I knew that he would be soon speaking with Shepard alone.  
And we could finally get this party started.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note: Sorry for the wait, this chapter kicked my butt, partly because we are starting to diverge from the canon events, and I had a wedding in the family to deal with recently. **

**Thank you to all those who have followed or favorited, especially to those who have reviewed. I love reviews.**

**Without further ado, Chapter 6**

* * *

After the Captain entered the Med Bay, Karin and Kaidan walked out.

_And now the bomb will be dropped. Anderson will know that I at least got something right._

Shepard and Anderson stayed closeted in the Med Bay for several hours, presumably going over the mission and my big reveal.

I felt a sense of anticipation, but I knew I was probably the only one. Ashley came up the lift and leaned against the corner of the wall, she didn't look at me, and I didn't particularly look at her either. Neither of us was ready to deal with the elephant in the room.

Eventually, Anderson left the Med Bay, and reentered his cabin. On the way he gave me a look that conveyed a world of meaning.

_Shepard knows, and Anderson is convinced._

Shepard walked out of the Med Bay, and walked over to Ash, probably to welcome her to the ship.

I didn't want to eavesdrop, so I pulled out my trusty 'tool and looked up the tolerances for the mass effect field strength sensors installed aboard ship.

_A mass effect field should really be called a distortion field. it just distorts the rubber sheet of the universe in opposition or in addition to what gravity does._

_Those sensors would come in handy with possibly detecting another distortion field, depending on how sensitive they can be calibrated to. How many spares do we have aboard..._

"Seems like the Doc knows more than he said at first." It was Shepard, and there was a questioning tone to her voice that I didn't quite understand.

I sighed, closed my 'tool and looked up at Shepard. Her face was drawn, yet firm, her eyes locked on mine. Her mouth was pressed into a thin line.

I looked around to find that Kaidan and Ashley had both left, and Karin was back inside the Med Bay. We were alone.

I brought my eyes back to Shepard. She had sat in front of me at the mess table.

I held up a finger, gesturing for her to wait one moment. I reopened my 'tool and after a minute of poking around, ran a maintenance power-down on the crew deck cameras for the next 10 minutes. "There, now Joker won't be listening in."

I took a deep breath, looking down at the palms of my hands. "Shepard, I know it must sound crazy. I only barely believe it myself.

I woke up the morning before graduation remembering two lives. One that knew the future here. That's part of what made losing Jenkins so hard. I knew it would happen, and I tried to stop it anyway. I failed."

I let the breath out through my lips, making them sputter and letting out a sound reminiscent of horses. It brought a smile to my lips with the sudden absurdity.

"Sorry, Shepard, didn't mean to drop that on you." I looked up at her. "What do you want to know? I'll answer what I can remember."

Shepard's look had softened some. She opened her mouth, "I understand why you want to keep this quiet. But eventually you'll have to choose between discretion and letting people die."

I said, "Shepard, thats a nice ideal, but I'll have to do much more than open my mouth and let the secrets spill out in order to save lives. The council already is super skeptical about our current claims about Saren, or at least they will be. Now you propose that we tell them 'My Lieutenant has precognition and you should risk your precious careers on him knowing what he's talking about.'"

I snorted. "And that's on top of the almost unbelievable 'Oh by the way, there is a fleet of super intelligent warships wanting to eradicate all spacefaring life in the galaxy, and your golden boy is doing his best to help them do it.'"

Shepard rocked back at the venom in my voice.

"Shepard, I hope you'll believe me, but I have no delusions that anyone that doesn't serve on this ship will."

Shepard's eyes went unfocused, staring at nothing in particular.

"I suppose I hadn't thought about it that way."

She refocused on me. "I have trusted you before, both to have my back, and also when I was falling apart. I'm not going to stop now. I like to think that I am a good judge of character, and I trusted you from the moment we met."

That shook me a little. "I'm honored, Shepard."

I pulled myself together a little more, "Did the Captain tell you about the evidence we need to get?"

She nodded, slipping back into her commander persona.

I nodded back, pleased.

"Anderson told me that we were to go and find the evidence once we dock, before the hearing with the Council. I have a few ideas on getting some leads on Saren myself. But we should start with finding Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. She's the quarian who has the evidence."

I looked directly into Shepard's eyes, trying to radiate support. "Shepard, the visions can be overwhelming, but you're not alone in having them. If you ever need to talk, I'm here."

Shepard looked away, and cleared her throat. She stood and said, "Thanks. I may take you up on that."

She looked toward the stairs, "I should go tell Joker to bring us into dock."

_Oh that's right, we'll be arriving at the Citadel soon. _

I stood as well, "Oh, yeah. I hear that the Destiny Ascension is on patrol. That's one impressive ship."

Shepard chuckled. "Trust the tech-head to get all excited over a ship. I guess bigger is better as they say."

I ducked my head, and started walking toward the stairs. "Its not like that and you know it."

Shepard's peal of laughter was silvery.

I arrived at the bridge just ahead of Shepard to find both Ash and Kaidan there already.

_Hmm, Kaidan isn't that tall either. Am I just freakishly tall?_

"Good timing, Commander." Joker chirped. "About to bring us into the Citadel, see that taxpayer money at work."

"Look at the size of that ship!" Ashley burst out.

"The Destiny Ascension, flagship of the Citadel fleet, four times the size of any Alliance warship. Crew of nearly 10,000."

Everyone on the bridge turned to look at me. Shepard with a smirk on her face, as if to say 'What did I say earlier?'.

"What?" I said.

Joker looked back to his controls, "Just saying, you need firepower too."

I smirked at the pilot, "Oh, did I forget to mention, it has more firepower than the rest of the asari fleets combined? I'm surprised, Joker, thought you'd be on the maneuverability bandwagon for a ship, considering you pilot the Normandy."

Joker snorted, "That behemoth is not going to dance, ever. Any idiot should see that."

At that I turned and left to prepare for our evidence hunt.

The moment we docked, Shepard and I strode out the airlock fully armed and armored. I pulled out my omnitool and ran a quick scan on unsecured channels for the name Tali'Zorah in any configuration.

_Nothing. Keeping it quiet are we, little sister? Can't say I blame you._

"Hmm, nothing on open channels,"

_Public key encryption is all based around the fact that everyone has access to it, just applied differently. _

I scanned the encrypted channels and discovered the type of encryption they were using, and set a process to scan on encrypted channels, packet capture style. Then left another process running scanning for reports of shootings involving quarians.

_Its a long shot, but worth trying._

Shepard had begun moving while I was at work. When I looked up, we were both in the elevator down to the C-Sec installation from the docking bay.

_Hmm, elevator conversations for the win._

Shepard looked at me as she noticed I was once again aware of the world around me.

"You get tunnel vision when you dive into that thing, soldier. Something to work on." Then she returned to the elevator-staring-at-the-door that everyone falls into.

"Yes, ma'am."

A moment passed, "Captain passed along the report about Saren to the Council?"

Shepard nodded. "I understand that there is an investigation underway."

"Did you catch the name of the officer in charge of the investigation?"

_Please let it be Garrus. Don't let it be something changed because of me._

Shepard raised an eyebrow, "I take it you have someone in mind? Someone to keep an eye out for?"

"Yes, if it's who I'm familiar with, you can trust him to do whatever he does for the right reasons. To have your back." I cleared my throat at this point.

Shepard furrowed her brow, Her eyes going distant, clearly thinking that through.

"The name I heard" I took a deep breath, "was Officer Vakarian."

I let the breath out, in relief. "Good man from what I understand, passionate about justice."

The elevator finally reached its destination, and the door receded into the floor.

"We might want to talk to him about what he's found, If we can arrange to not look like we are compromising an investigation."

Shepard looked thoughtful, "Sounds like a good idea. We should ask around, see if we can find where he is."

We walked over to the nearest uniformed officer, a turian in red clan paint. "Excuse me, Could you direct me to Garrus Vakarian?" Shepard said.

"He's in his office, upstairs down the hall to the left, second from the end," came the response.

After thanking the officer, we made our way to the office.

_Friendly neighborhood space-batman. _

I smiled to myself.

The door opened to reveal a turian in blue C-Sec armor, his scales clay-brown, a targeting eyepiece over one of his blue eyes.

He was hard at work on his terminal, which had been expanded to nearly surround him in haptic interfaces of a pale orange color. Windows showed data downloads, database inputs, surveillance feeds, schematics, and a host of other things in the wide arc of displays. His hands flicked from one to the next with practiced ease.

Shepard stepped forward, "Garrus Vakarian?"

His head jerked toward us, and with a flick of a claw, he quickly collapsed the widespread display down to the terminal box on his desk.

"Yes, I'm Vakarian. What can I do for you, Commander Shepard?"

His double toned voice was like someone humming on a kazoo while speaking.

_He must have recognized her after some research into the background of the case._

Shepard didn't miss a beat. "We'd like to assist however we can with the investigation into Saren Arterius."

Garrus's mandibles twitched outward, and his eyes narrowed, becoming like a hawk staring at prey.

"What did you have in mind, Commander?"

I glanced over at Shepard, and her eyes were locked on his, her mouth spread in a predator's grin, her bared teeth almost sparkling.

_That would be so cliché._

Shepard's voice was low, precise. "We have it on good authority that Saren is trying to silence a quarian named Tali'Zorah, who is either here on the Citadel, or will arrive soon. We've tried to find out if she has arrived yet, but there is nothing on the open channels."

Garrus's mandibles spread even further, showing some of his needle-like teeth.

"I think I can help with that," With that, the big turian's hands brought up his terminal display again.

A moment later, my 'tool pinged, and a moment after that, something came up on the big display.

I flexed my left hand to bring up my 'tool, and discovered that I had a hit for quarians involved in shootings.

_Presidium commons, near the C-Sec Outpost._

"Got it, shooting involving a quarian on the Presidium."

Garrus looked up from the exact same report I had just read, and narrowed his eyes.

His voice had lowered to a grating buzz on the undertones as he said,

"Who are you, and how did you get that report before me?"

I shrugged, a smirk on my face.

Shepard stepped between us and walked to stand on my other side, raising a hand to indicate me as she said, "Lieutenant Benjamin 'Doc' Johnston, my resident tech wizard and field medic."

I bowed, my eyes still on the turian. "If it makes you feel any better, that was only from plaintext channels."

The big turian stood, and I suddenly understood just how big he was.

_He's at least 7 foot, and just HUGE. _

I followed his face up with my eyes, and he chuckled.

"Lets go check out this shooting, especially if the victim may have some dirt on Saren."

We left his office and hurried to a patrol car.

Inside of 10 minutes, we were standing in an alcoveon the Presidium surrounded by plants that had been sprayed in what was definitely blood.

_Odd, its slightly darker than human blood, even accounting for coagulation_

"The blood spatter suggests that the shot came from that direction," Garrus pointed in the direction of the nearby C-Sec outpost.

"Do you think we could get surveillance video? I'd rather not try hacking in." I said with a grimace.

"Lets find out," came the the warm rumble of the turian's voice.

The public area video feeds came up on his omnitool.

"The spray looks like an arterial hit, can you tell where the shot hit her?"

"Looks like the upper arm."

"She would have at most a couple of minutes to stop the bleeding before losing consciousness. So she's either already dead, or she stopped pretty quickly to apply medigel. Were there any misses? I'd like to know if there's a toxin to deal with."

Garrus backtracked the footage of the attack, "One miss, should be embedded in the wall over here."

Garrus pointed over at an impact in the low retaining wall around the foliage.

I knelt and scanned the projectile embedded in the wall, "That's what I was afraid of, Polonium rounds. She'll need medical treatment, and fast. The question is whether she'll realize that. At least there wasn't any anticoagulant. That would have been nasty if her medigel didn't work."

Garrus looked around, "We're relatively close to Doctor Michel's clinic. She may have seen it and headed there."

Shepard looked relieved to find an end to the investigation. "Lets move out."

We arrived at the clinic, to find that our quarian quarry was in attendance.

A very confused looking Doctor Michel turned to the door, from leaning over a suited form on the table, surrounded by a decontamination field. Shepard opened her mouth, "Doctor Michel? I'm Commander Shepard, Alliance. We've got evidence that your quarian patient may be pursued by mercenaries."

I stepped forward, "I'm a trained medic, Doctor, do you need any assistance?"

She motioned me over. I began opening the seals to the arm of Tali's suit, making sure that the local seals clamped down.

"We need to get her stabilized, there was some kind of toxin in the round."

I nodded, "Yes, I analyzed one of the rounds from the scene, Polonium rounds, high content."

She looked me in the eyes, and must have seen something reassuring, because she sighed in relief.

She turned away and began filling an injection tube with a clear fluid. "Good, I was afraid we'd run into complications before I isolated the toxin. We'll need to operate to extract the slug, prevent any further toxin from spreading."

I turned around and removed my gauntlets, and began scrubbing my hands and arms so I could assist in the surgery.

We worked for 3 hours, clamping arteries, extracting the strangely flat sliver of metal, repairing blood vessels, and joining the flesh back together.

_Medigel is amazing stuff_.

When we both came up for air, Shepard and Garrus were pacing back and forth behind the barrier.

I grabbed my gauntlets and marched over to the wall nearby, then collapsed back against it, sliding to the floor.

I leaned my head forward and put my face in my hands, my elbows braced against the wall.

"How's she doing, Doc?" Shepard's voice was worried.

I spoke through my fingers, "I think she'll pull through. Might not wake up for another hour or two, though. That wasn't exactly heart surgery, but it definitely wasn't routine either."

I raised my head to find Shepard's eyes, "Any word on the investigation otherwise? Or the Council?"

Shepard grimaced, "No. I don't know how, but the Captain managed to get them to let us finish before holding the hearing."

"Don't suppose either of you have anything to eat that won't make me bleed internally? That was not easy." I smirked.

Both Shepard and Garrus rolled their eyes, and Shepard said, "Suck it up soldier."

But she still tossed me a protein bar, which I wolfed down.

Doctor Michel walked over, stripping off her gloves. "She will make it. Thanks to you."

The corner of her mouth quirked up, "I imagine that you'll want to speak to her when she regains consciousness?"

Garrus chuckled, his mandibles twitching outwards. "You got it Doctor. She may have evidence for a very high profile case."

"Speaking of which, until she can be up and around, we need to keep an eye out for Saren's men." I chirped, in between mouthfuls.

"Agreed," Shepard said.

We waited, on guard duty, for an hour and ten minutes, exactly. Then the motionless figure in the suit wasn't motionless anymore. She began stirring, rubbing her wounded shoulder, clutching at her head, attempting to sit up.

Doctor Michel moved quickly, to calm the frightened quarian.

After a minute or so, she subsided.

"Kheelah Selai, pilgrim," I said, walking over to stand next to her bed. "May we have your name?"

Her voice came through a speaker grille in time with a light glowing where her mouth would be.

"Tali'Zorah nar Rayya."

Doctor Michel placed a calming hand at the elbow of Tali's arm, "Take it easy, we just treated you for a gunshot wound and polonium poisoning. If not for the Lieutenant here, you may not be alive."

"Who are you?" came the groggy voice again.

The Doctor said, "I am Doctor Chloe Michel, and this is Lieutenant Ben Johnston, and his commanding officer Commander Jane Shepard of the Alliance Navy. This is Officer Garrus Vakarian of C-Sec."

Shepard spoke up, "I understand that you're confused, but we got a tip that you may have some dirt on Saren Arterius. We're trying to bring him to justice."

Tali carefully sat up. Doctor Michel supported her quickly.

The quarian's voice was accented, and had a synthesized quality to it, "Then I have a chance to repay you for saving my life."

"How is that?" came Shepard.

"I'm on my pilgrimage, and I heard about geth attacks. Since my people created the geth originally, I was curious as to why they'd come beyond the Perseus Veil.

I followed a patrol of them, and waited until one was separated from the rest, and disabled it. I was able to salvage a small cache of data from its memory core before it self destructed."

Tali swung her legs off the table to dangle off the edge. Her head bowed to examine her omnitool.

_At least this is one person who I'm not distracted by their eyes. I mean they glow, sure, but can't really see them through that helmet. Though that helmet is definitely a marvel of engineering..._

I shook myself to head off the inevitable technology speculation.

Tali's fingers flew over the orange glowing interface of her 'tool.

There suddenly was a familiar two toned voice filling the small clinic.

"**Eden Prime was a major victory. We are one step closer to finding the conduit,"**

Then another voice agreed with the first.

"**And one step closer to the return of the reapers."**

"Definitely Saren's voice," I said, glancing at Shepard,

Her brows were furrowed, and eyes unfocused, but then her eyes met mine in a question.

I nodded slightly to let her know that I recognized the other voice as well as Saren's.

Garrus spoke up, "This is perfect! Exactly what we need to bring that bastard down."


End file.
